APPLE FESTIVAL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
OCTOBER
CARNIVAL
CARNIVAL PRICES: THURSDAY, $25 WRISTBANDS
3, 4 & 5 • 2025
LOCATED ALONG MANYPENNY AVE.
FRIDAY-SUNDAY
$30/4 HOURS UNLIMITED RIDES
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2
• 4 pm – 9 pm, Carnival
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3
$50 FAMILY PASS (30 TIX.)
$1.75/TICKET
*EACH RIDE: 4-6 TICKETS
• 10am-5pm, Food and Craft Vendors line the streets of Downtown Bayfield
• 10am-5pm, Bayfield Farmer’s Market featuring all local producers along South Broad Street
• 10:00am – Noon, Live Music by Triple Fiddle, Grandstand Stage (North 2nd Street)
• 10:30am- Noon, Live Music by Warren Nelson: Memorial Park Gazebo
• Noon-12:10pm, Mayor Proclamation: Memorial Park Gazebo
• 12:30-2:30pm, Live Music by Squid City Slingers, Memorial Park Gazebo
• 12:30-2:30pm, Live Music by Dan Scott and Banjo Express, the Grandstand Stage (North 2nd Street)
• 1-9pm, Carnival
• 3-5pm, Live Music by Old Country Boys: Memorial Park Gazebo
• 3-5pm, Live Music by Molly and the Danger Band, Grandstand Stage (North 2nd St.)
• 5-8pm, Live Music at Hoop’s Dockside (207 Wilson Ave.) – Lawless
• 7 pm, WPR’s Pint Sized Concert – Bach to Pop at Honest Dog Books (40 S. Second St.)
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4
• 10am, Wake-Up Concert, Pipes and Drums of Thunder Bay, Port Superior Marina
• 10am-5pm, Food and Craft Vendors line the streets of Downtown Bayfield.
• 10am-5pm, Bayfield Farmer’s Market featuring all local producers along South Broad Street
APPLE FESTIVAL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
OCTOBER 3, 4 & 5 • 2025
• 10:30am-Noon, Live Music by Berry Riese, Memorial Park Gazebo
• 10 - Noon, Live Music by Danielle Diamond, Grandstand Stage (North 2nd Street)
• 11am, Bayfield Firemen’s Fish Fry and Beer Garden, Bayfield Lakeside Pavilion
• 11am – 5pm, EMS Raffle at First Aid Station – Drawing 9 pm at Hoop’s Fish.
• Noon-9pm, Carnival
• 12:30-2:30pm, Live Music by Sean & Ian Okamoto, Memorial Park Gazebo
• Noon-2pm, Apple Peeling Contest: Grandstand Stage (Signup at Noon, Contest 1 p.m.)
• 12:30 – 2:30pm, Live Music by Yazmin Bowers & Beat Zero, Grandstand Stage (North 2nd Street)
• 3-5pm, Live Music by Molly and the Danger Band, Grandstand Stage (North 2nd Street)
• 3-5pm, Live Music by Michael Vasquez, Memorial Park Gazebo
• 6:45pm, Queen Procession – Begins in front of Old Rittenhouse Inn
• 7:00pm, Queen Coronation – Memorial Park Gazebo (Rain Location: Lakeside Pavilion)
• 5-8pm, Live Music at Hoop’s Dockside (207 Wilson Ave.) –Old Country Brothers
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5
• 10am-5pm, Food and Craft Vendors line the streets of Downtown Bayfield.
• 11 – 1pm, Live Music by Warren Nelson, Memorial Park Gazebo
• 10am-1pm, Live Music by Blue Canvas Orchestra, Grandstand Stage (North 2nd Street)
• Noon-6pm, Carnival
• 2pm, Grand Parade, followed by the MASS Band
• 3-5pm, Live Music by Sean and Ian Okamoto Memorial Park Gazebo
• 3-5pm, Live Music by Molly and the Danger Band, Grandstand Stage (North 2nd Street)
• 5pm, Firemen’s Raffle Drawing, Grandstand Stage
• 5pm, Chamber Raffle Drawing, Grandstand Stage
Meet the 2025 Apple Festival Queen: Madison Galazen
The Bayfield Apple Festival is all about celebrating community, tradition, and of course—apples! This year, we’re proud to crown Madison Galazen as the 63rd Apple Festival Queen.
At just 16, Madison is already deeply rooted in the values that make Bayfield special. Growing up around her grandparents’ farm, North Wind Organic Farm, she learned the importance of sustainability— collecting water, using solar energy, companion planting, and keeping everything organic. She fondly recalls helping with harvesting, spending time at the Madeline Island Farmers Market, and enjoying days on the farm with her family.
Now a junior at Washburn High School, Madison dreams big for the future. She hopes to study business at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and one day open her own thrift store with a cozy coffee shop in the front—bringing together two of her favorite things in one place. In the meantime, she’s gaining experience working at Howl Adventure Center and Café and Howl Downtown in Bayfield.
When it comes to Apple Festival, Madison doesn’t hesitate: her favorite treat is her grandpa Tom’s apple cider. She also loves strolling through the vendor booths, seeing friends and neighbors, and taking in the energy that fills Bayfield during festival weekend. As Queen, she’s especially looking forward to judging the Apple Pie and Dessert contest on Wednesday, September 24.
Madison’s grandfather, Tom Galazen, beams with pride:
“Evenwhenshewaslittle,Madisonwas active,enthusiastic,andalwaysreadyto pitchin.She’sopen,willingtolearn,and neverafraidtohelpwiththehardwork. PeoplestillrememberherfromtheMadelineIslandMarket,andthatsaysalot.”
From working on the farm to representing Bayfield as this year’s Queen, Madison is a shining example of the next generation carrying forward our community’s traditions with energy and heart.
PHOTO BY JD BASS PHOTOGRAPHY
“Applefest 2025: Where Peruvian Flavors Meet Bayfield Tradition”
Meet the 2025 Apple Festival Grand Marshal: Beta Bodin
This year’s Bayfield Apple Festival Grand Marshal, Beta Bodin, carries forward a legacy deeply rooted in both Bayfield’s history and its vibrant present. A fourth-generation descendant of Swedish immigrants Nils and Elizabeth Bodin, Beta’s family has been shaping the Bayfield peninsula commercial and cultural landscape for more than a century. Beta is humbled and surprised yet happy to be selected as this year’s Grand Marshal.
The Bodin legacy began by fishing Southern Chequamegon Bay, and slowly moving north until finally anchoring in Bayfield in 1959 with the purchase of the Otto L. Kuhn fisheries—the very site where Bodin Fisheries still stands today. Beta leads Bodin’s Inc., as President and CEO, which encompasses several Bayfield-based businesses, including The Brownstone Centre, Sweet Sailing, Bodin Fisheries, Harbor Star Trucking, and Bodin’s Resort.
Beta’s Bayfield “business life” began with Bodin Net Company selling twine to Great Lakes fishermen, but quickly expanded to reimagining and developing underutilized historic Bayfield waterfront and main street properties.
Her commitment to community extends far beyond business. Beta has served on nu-
merous local boards, including the Bayfield Heritage Association, the South Shore Community Fund, the Bayfield Food Producers Co-op, and the Bremer Bank Board. Today, she continues her service on the board of The Clubin Washburn.
When she’s not working, Beta can often be found outdoors—in her own little apple orchard, biking, foraging the forest floor, playing pickleball or out skiing with her daughters in Montana or at her home hillMt Ashwabay. She also instigated a group of adventurous women to swim between the Apostle Islands - yup, all of them - a route that makes it a 55-mile feet once completed.
Baking has long been one of Beta’s passions. Sweet Sailing caramel apples are fresh all festival long, and the pies have won the Apple Pie Contest many times. For Beta, the heart of the Bayfield Apple Festival is the community.
“Thereisnowaythislittlecommunity couldpulloffthisincredibleeventwithout thehelpoffriendsandfamilycommunitywide,”shesays.“Itissowonderfultowatch everyonepulltogetherineverycornerof towntoworkhard,playhard,andenjoythe weekend.”
PHOTO BY JD BASS PHOTOGRAPHY
Applefest Shuttle
Bay Area Rural Transit will be providing a shuttle from Ashland to the Bayfield Apple Festival, Saturday, October 4th. Don’t get caught in the parking Zoo in Bayfield, leave the driving to us! Shuttles leave Ashland hourly from Ashland, through Washburn to Downtown Bayfield.
For schedules and information call the BART office at 715-682-9664 or at bartbus.com.
You may get picked up at one of our sponsors listed below:
SATURDAY OCTOBER 4TH
ASHLAND:
· AmericInn
· BestWestern (Hotel Chequamegon)
· Northland College
· Civic Center Parking Lot
· Cobblestone Inn and Suites
· Super 8Motel
· Quality Inn (Lake Superior Lodge)
WASHBURN:
· Washburn Inn
· Washburn Book Store
BAYFIELD: Wilson Ave & S 2nd St (by Bodin’s)
PHOTO BY JD BASS PHOTOGRAPHY
OCTOBER 3,4 & 5 • 2025
63 RD ANNUAL BAYFIELD APPLE FESTIVAL 2025 FESTIVAL GROUNDS MAP
ESSENTIALS:
ORCHARD STAND
FOOD STANDS
ARTIST BOOTHS
VENDOR BOOTHS
FARMERS MARKET
FRIDAY & SATURDAY (ONLY), 10AM-5PM
BAYFIELD CHAMBER & VISITOR BUREAU
42 S. BROAD ST. • (715) 779-3335
APPLE FESTIVAL INFORMATION & 50/50 RAFFLE BOOTH
TRANSPORTATION:
SHUTTLE PICK-UP & DROP OFF
ENTERTAINMENT:
GRANDSTAND STAGE NORTH SECOND STREET
APOSTLE ISLANDS CRUISES
APOSTLEISLAND.COM • (715) 779-3927
SPECTRUM CARNIVAL
THANK YOU!
PUBLIC RESTROOMS
ATM
PAID PARKING FOLLOW THE FISH TO BODIN FISHERIES
ACCESSIBLE PARKING
BAYFIELD LAKESIDE PAVILION
POLICE (715) 779-5731 OR 911
MEDICAL SERVICES RITTENHOUSE AVE & 1ST ST.
MADELINE ISLAND FERRY LINE MADFERRY.COM • (715) 747-2051
CONCERTS BY THE LAKE MEMORIAL PARK
BAYFIELD CARNEGIE LIBRARY 37 N. BROAD ST.
GRAND PARADE ROUTE SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2PM
#BAYFIELDAPPLEFESTIVAL
TO ALL THE VOLUNTEERS WHO GIVE THEIR TIME TO HELP MAKE APPLE FESTIVAL FUN! AND TO OUR SPONSORS FOR THEIR GENEROUS SUPPORT.
France Austin Miller uses silk to make Apple Festival poster
France Austin Miller’s artwork, selected for this year’s poster, titled “Bayfield’s Finest,” focuses on a bushel of apples and was made with a silk canvas. It makes the bright red colors of the apples pop more than they would on canvas and creates a unique look that’s almost shimmering. She prefers to paint with watercolors, simply because they’re “simple, portable and highly spontaneous.”
“It’s just a close-up of apples. I thought it would be a lot of fun,” she said.
Festival organizers commissioned Miller to represent Bayfield’s biggest event of the year, and it’s not the first time. Her work has been selected six times since 1995. Each poster highlighted what she saw as an essential aspect of the festival, which draws thousands of visitors to a city with a population of less than 600.
Posters she made in the past focused on the festival’s namesake in different forms, including an apple tree, an Andy Warholthemed apple collage, and a collage of various delicacies apples can be used to
make. Another depicts a festival in progress celebrating its 50th anniversary, featuring the mayor, a high school marching band member performing, several vendors, and other elements of the event, including its many festival goers.
To Miller, the festival is a celebration of Bayfield’s numerous orchards and all their handwork in growing the uncountable number of apples that are consumed during the festival. She also enjoys listening to the live music and watching the parade.
The poster and buttons are available for purchase at the Bayfield Chamber and Visitor Bureau, and will be available at the Chamber’s booth on Rittenhouse Avenue throughout the festival.
New Flavors, New Fun at the 63rd Annual Apple Festival.
The Bayfield Chamber and Visitor Bureau is excited to introduce new experiences and fresh flavors at this year’s Apple Festival! From furry friends at the petting zoo to tart sips in the Cider Garden, there’s plenty to explore. And for the first time, you can even watch the Grand Parade live on our website and social media. Keep reading for all the details on what’s new and not to miss.
Petting Zoo at Apple Festival: Take a break from the busy festival and enjoy some hands-on fun with friendly farm animals! Lone Pine Cattle Company of Hayward, Wisconsin, will bring their Scottish Highland calves, miniature horses, baby chicks, and a special goat interaction pen filled with playful mamas and babies. The familyrun farm loves sharing the joy of animal care, and the petting zoo is designed to give kids and adults a chance to connect, recharge, and make memories. Children under 12 must be accompanied by a paying adult ($8 entry), and little ones under 2 must be held by an adult at all times. Find this heartwarming highlight at the lot at the corner of Manypenny and Rittenhouse Avenue.
Watch the Apple Festival Grand Parade LIVE! Can’t make it to Bayfield? You can still enjoy the magic of the Grand Parade—the grand finale of Apple Festival—right from home! Watch colorful floats and high school bands march down Rittenhouse Avenue, ending with the unforgettable MASS Band performance of “On Wisconsin” by nine schools. The parade begins Sunday, October 5 at 2:00 p.m. Watch live at Bayfield.org or on our Apple Festival Facebook Page.
Cider on Rittenhouse Avenue: Enjoy Bayfield’s home-pressed hard cider from two Bayfield Cideries, Apfelhaus Cider and Bayfield Winery and Blue Ox Cider. From blossom to bottle, Apfelhaus Cider has been operating for eight years. The founders are the fifth generation to tend Hauser’s Superior View Farm, putting more than 100 years of heritage into every batch they produce. Apfelhaus will feature three ciders,
including the Apple Fest, a semi-sweet cider. Don’t miss Bayfield Winery and Blue Ox Cider’s award-winning wines and ciders. Blue Ox is a small family-owned farm growing grapes, apples, and pears. They turn all the fruit into delicious wines and hard ciders. They will have three ciders and one wine to try.
50/50 Raffle: Keep the fun going while supporting the Bayfield Chamber’s year-round events! Visit one of our 50/50 raffle booths located throughout the festival grounds for your chance to win. The lucky winner will be announced Sunday at 5:00 p.m. on the Grand Stage—you do not need to be present to win.
Please be mindful and respectful of each other to ensure everyone has an enjoyable and safe experience. Thank you to everyone who put in the time and effort to make this year’s festival safe and fun for all! This festival would not be possible without our dedicated sponsors and volunteers!
OUR 63rd Annual Apple Festival Fresh, Juicy, Apples
HOWARD D. PAAP
Our 63rd Apple Festival!! Yes, we have been at this for over sixty years, and these weekend Fall gatherings are as good as ever. Apples, apples, apples! Our festivals remain focused on the apple, and on those grown here in northern Wisconsin–right here beside this big, clean, and ever so cold lake. If you let your mind do its thing you can almost taste the icy freshness of Lake Superior come through in the first bite. And who isn’t taken by Lake Superior? Americans–and many Canadians, too–drive miles and miles to stand beside this huge, deep, body of fresh water, often to remove the shoes and socks and at least take a few steps into its ankle-deep cold. For Lake Superior is legendary, its fresh, icy tales going back centuries.
and Lot’s of Fun
fresh water, life-promoting sunlight, cool winds, rich soils, and apple trees. The exciting coming-together of these primal elements, finally, this con-joining with the Bayfield apple, is at the heart of our festivals.
But there is more. Nature provides the above, brings us the wonder of the apples we see all around us on these autumnal weekends each fall, but we humans provide the rest. We bring the foods, music, and wonderful interpersonal activities that center on the current year’s crop of apples. Nature brings the apple, but we humans bring the festivities honoring it. In our human festival-going we celebrate the apple, the center of it all. We bring the classic song-and-dance at harvest time. We bring the music, food, and festiveness of it all. We do all that, but of course, we do this to honor the apple, to pay respect, and give gratitude for another annual crop.
Some of us still recall the very first time we saw it, this almost limitless body of cold water. We remember how when in elementary school we would look at the big wall map of the lake way up there in far Northern Wisconsin, and marvel at its size! Then, much later when actually standing beside it for the first time, when we were truly at its shore letting our gaze go way out to the distant horizon, we recall how thrilled we were. This really was Lake Superior! Finally, after a number of years we were really standing before its massiveness, feeling its chill in the steady breeze overwhelming us.
Our local apple orchards are part of this connection between such a huge body of fresh, icy water, and the life-forms residing here. Naturally, our region’s seasonal climates are moderated by the big lake––are affected by it, producing a climate conducive to the growth of a fruit like the apple. So, historically, our famous orchards were planted here with this effect of our big, cold, freshwater lake in mind. Our lake-air, with its humid, continental climate brings temperature swings between seasons that are conducive to providing our excellent growing season for a fruit like the apple.
So, this is what we celebrate at our annual fall apple festivals. In this way, we suggest that our gatherings are a ceremonial honoring of Nature, with its
So. When in the Bayfield Area spend time in the few downtown commercial blocks walking out in the streets with the other attendees, enjoying the great Fall weather (hopefully) for sure, and enjoying festival food and drink while moving along. Check-out the carefully chosen festival vendors, and hopefully you will find items to take back home. This almost constant flow of street strollers is at the heart of the festival. Right from the start, from the very first of our festivals, this coming-out and strolling along amidst the crowd has been at the center of it all. The final act is the musical parade of the mass-band. This conjoining of the many regional high school bands that were integrated in the festival long parade on Sunday afternoon, is the concluding act of the weekend event. It is the moving, musical, crescendo of the weekend. It is a wonderful hometown statement of what America really is up here beside this big lake.
And of course do not forget to eat apples, and this means out of hand. Do not forget to crunch a Cortland–preferably doing so when downtown on the streets in the heart of Bayfield. Savor its sometimes tart-like sweetness, its juices and very pulp. That apple was grown here in the red-clay soils of the Bayfield Peninsula, the land beside this big lake of ours. It is the fruit of our labors, the reason for much of what goes on at each Bayfield Apple Festival.
PHOTO BY JD BASS PHOTOGRAPHY
2025 BAYFIELD APPLE FESTIVAL VENDOR MAP
2025 Bayfield Apple Festival City Street Parking Map
APPLE HILL ORCHARD
34980 County. Hwy. J •
715-779-0276
BLUE VISTA FARM
34045 County Hwy J • 715-779-5400
ERICKSON ORCHARDS & COUNTRY STORE
86600 Betzold Rd. • 715-913-0717
GARAGE MAHAL ORCHARDS
86695 Betzold Rd. • 651-238-1496
HAUSER’S SUPERIOR VIEW FARM
86565 County Hwy. J • 715-779-5404
HIGHLAND VALLEY FARM AND PIKES CREEK WINERY
87080 Valley Rd. • 715-779-3941
HILLCREST ORCHARDS
35025 County Hwy. I • 715-779-5756
NORTH WIND ORGANIC FARM
86760 Valley Rd. • 715-779-3254
RABIDEAUX ORCHARD
35465 County Hwy. J • 715-779-5509
ROCKY ACRES BERRY FARM
87340 County Hwy. J • 715-779-3332
SUNSET VALLEY ORCHARD & APPLE BRANCH SHOPPE
86520 Valley Rd. • 715-779-5510
APFELHAUS CIDERY
86565 County Hwy. J • 715-779-5404
BAYFIELD WINERY AND BLUE OX CIDER
87380 Betzold Rd. • 715-779-3274
BAYFIELD APPLE CO
87540 Co Hwy J • 715- 779-5700
GOOD EARTH GARDENS
87185 Co. Hwy J • (715) 913-0157
2025 Apple Festival Orchard Activities
Apple Hill Orchard – Open Daily 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Purchase pre-picked and pick your own apples at the orchard. Find our booths at Apple Festival all weekend long for our famous caramel apples, apple crisp, apple pie, apple nachos, and more!
Bayfield Apple Company – Open Daily, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Check out the Farm Store filled with locally made goodies including, but not limited to, fresh and sustainably made hot apple cider, granola, jams, jellies, butters, and fruit mustards and hot apple brats! Visit a photo booth and self-guided orchard tours, including butterfly walking tour and cider house tour. Beat the crowds and come to the Orchard the weekends before and after Apple Festival to enjoy the popular Apple Dumpling Cart.
Bayfield Winery and Blue Ox Cider – Open daily 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Enjoy wine and hard cider tasting alongside the grapevines. Also try our hot mulled wine, non-alcoholic hot cider and non-alcoholic sparkling cider floats. Check out a collection of artists and craft vendors selling their products on the farm.
Blue Vista Farm – Open: Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., and Sunday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Head up to the farm for fantastic apple picking, honey samples from Kaiserson’s, flower picking with Bayfield Blooms, and fresh-pressed cider! We’ll also have our usual store goodies and pre-picked apples available.
Erickson Orchard and Country Store – Open Friday-Sunday Apple Festival weekend, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Head up to Erickson Orchard and Country Store for fun for everyone! Check out a hayride and orchard maze for the kids. Live music on Friday and Saturday, Noon – 4 p.m. by Javier Trejo. Enjoy a famous apple stick, apple cider doughnuts, and fresh bakery items from the country store. Beat the crowds and head up to the orchard the weekend before for more live music, hayrides, and food booths, September 26 & 27.
Good Earth Gardens – Open 8 a.m.-3 p.m. daily for coffee & bakery that’s as delicious as it is bad for you. Honestly, not much is gonna be happening up here, so if you just wanna place to escape the insanity, come on by. There’s a free arcade and the garden variety “farm goods” crap to buy. Anything beyond that will be as much a surprise for you as it is for us!
Hauser’s Superior View Farm – Farm Store open daily 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Apfelhaus Cidery Taproom open daily 12 p.m. - 8 p.m. Enjoy festival food at the farm, including smoked pork sandwiches with apple butter BBQ sauce, caramel apples, jam, apples, apple butter, and Apfelhaus Cidery. Handcrafted hard cider and tastings daily. Hayrides and pony rides on Saturday and Sunday for the whole family.
Hillcrest Orchard – Open Daily, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Come check out our gift shop stocked with apples, jams, jellies, pies, syrups, and baked goods.
North Wind Organic Farm – Open Friday - Sunday 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. REPRESENTED BY THE 2025 APPLE FESTIVAL QUEEN: MADISON GALAZEN. Celebrate the Bayfield Apple Season with a stop at North Wind Organic Farm. We feature an array of products including organic apples, apple cider, garlic varieties, fall raspberries, hardy kiwi, jams, jellies, and more. Our farm is fully organic—free from chemical pesticides and artificial fertilizers—and completely off-grid, powered by solar and wind energy.
Rabideaux Orchard – Open: Daily 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Rabideaux Orchard will be selling fresh apples, apple cider, baked goods, apple brats both at the orchard and downtown! Apple varieties include Cortland, McIntosh, Honeycrisp and Honeygolds. Pears, honey, and maple syrup are also available.
Sunset Valley Orchard & the Apple Branch Gift Shoppe – Gift Shoppe and walking trail open 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. all weekend during Apple Festival. Stop by and pick up apples, jams, jellies, and more from our beautiful farm.
Welcome from the Mayor
On behalf of the City, it is my great pleasure to welcome everyone to the 63rd Annual Bayfield Apple Festival—a celebration that has become one of our treasured local traditions.
Every year, as autumn rolls in and the orchards come alive, our community gathers to honor our area’s most iconic fruit: the apple. From fresh pies, caramel apples, and cider to apple themed crafts, carnival rides, and musical entertainment, the festival is a true showcase of our local creativity and community pride.
Whether you’re here to sample award winning apple treats, enjoy live music, tour the orchards, or simply stroll through our charming downtown streets, I know you’ll find something to enjoy. The Apple Festival is more than just an event—it’s a reflection of who we are: welcoming, hard-working, and always ready to celebrate the fruits of our labor—literally!
I’d like to personally thank the dedicated organizers, volunteers, local farmers, vendors, and sponsors who work tirelessly to make the festival a success year after year. Your efforts help keep this tradition alive and bring joy to thousands.
So grab a cup of cider, take a bite of something delicious, share a corndog with a loved one, and enjoy all that the Apple Festival has to offer. We’re glad you’re here.
Sincerely,
Lyn Cornelius Acting Mayor, City of Bayfield
Grand marshals throughout the years
1984: John Torbick
1985: ?
1986: Jack and Shirley Johnson
1987: ?
1988: James and Muriel Erickson
1989: Buck and Gene Franzen
1990: ?
1991: Mary (Ahnen) Halvorson
1992: ?
1993: ?
1994: Leo Lafernier
1995: ?
1996: ?
1997: Mary Hepner
1998: ?
1999: Charlotte Weber
2000: ?
2001: Ruth Moon
2002: Jerry & Mary Phillips
2003: Harriet & Vermont Johnson
2004: Laurie Nourse
2005: Sharon & John Johnson
2006: Len Erickson & Bill Deragon
2007: Tom & Linda Gordon
2008: Jim Hauser Sr.
2009: James & Muriel Erickson
2010: John & Libby Telford
2011: Julian Nelson
2012: Robert and Jackie Hansen
2013: Gary Connell
2014: Harold Hyde
2015: Mary Rice
2016: Don Albrecht and Jerry Carlson
2017: Bill & Claudia Ferraro
2018: Shirley Bodin & Shirley
Hanson
2019: Tom Pulaski
2020: Canceled
2021: Celia Duquette
2022: Marilyn Van Sant
2023: Allen and Mary Jo Rabideaux
2024: Mike Berg
Bayfield’s Award-Winning Apple Desserts
Every year the Bayfield community comes together for the Apple Pie and Dessert Contest to kick off Apple Festival. Contestants put on their aprons and head to their kitchens to whip up something delicious for a chance to be voted one of Bayfield’s best bakers. The contest is held a week before Apple Festival. A panel of people, with a pallet for dessert, judges each entry.
Category: Home Baked Apple
Dessert -
Ingredients:
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. baking soda
Combine in a small bowl and set aside
½ cup shortening
2 cups sugar
5 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking powder
2 cups of flour
Frosting:
8 oz cream cheese
¼ cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar
Beat with an electric mixer
Directions:
Grease three 9 inch cake pans.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Beat butter and shortening and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs, buttermilk mixtures, vanilla, baking powder and flower, stir until combined pour batter into greased pans.
Sauté chopped apples in a skillet with 3 TBSP butter, ¼ cup sugar, and 1 tsp cinnamon until tender.
Bake cakes 30-35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
Spread sauteed apples as a filling between the cake layers and frost cake.
Apple Italian Cream Cake made by Jerry Simons
Apple Festival Royalty
1962 - Mary Ahnen (Halverson
1963 - Jacqulin Sebastian (Johnson)
1964 - Beveryly Lampa
1965 - Annette Nourse (Peterson)
1966 - Susan Chape (Wangen)
1967 - Cheryl Gokee (Komanekin)
1968 - Lydia Hauser
1969 - Linda Lamoreaux
1970 - Jackie Wever (Cadotte)
1971 - Joanie Hauser (Cameron)
1972 - Cindy Erickson (Nourse)
1973 - Gina Soucheray
1974 - Diane Livingston (Kangas)
1975 - Debbie Lind
1976 - Kim McConnell
1977 - Debbie Siebold (Weber)
1978 - Pamela Compton (Foran)
1979 - Louis Hauser (Hulse)
1980 - Lori Kangas (Tracy)
1981 - Karen Wichlidal (Boutin)
1982 - Rose Betzold (Franco)
1983 - Tammy Weber (Curran)
1984 - Vicky Milligan (McAuliffe)
1985 - JoAnn Delk (Cottone)
1986 - Arla Neff (Kretlow)
1987 - Toni DeFoe
1988 - Jessy Farrell (Defoe)
1989 - Marla Powers
1990 - Karrie Erickson
1991 - Kelly Weber
1992 - Crystal Newago
1993 - Heather Defoe (Deragon)
1994 - Erin Cadotte (Zupke)
1995 - Angie Hanson (Lee)
1996 - Bridget Klein
1997 - Anna Meierotto (Leask)
1998 - Linda Defoe (Parent)
1999 - Jamie Goodlet
2000 - Janine Johnson
2001 - Channell Curran
2002 - Denny Edwards
(She was 90 the year she was queen!)
2003 - Jenni Erickson (Carey)
2004 - Rita Carlson
2005 - Lesley Burg
2006 - Kateri Cadotte
2007 - Malia North
2008 - Mary Thomas
2009 - Stephanie LaPointe
2010 - Esme Martinson
2011 - Carrie Nelson
2012 - Kelly Holmes
2013 – Emily & Ellie Hoopman
2014 – Emily Nourse
2015 – Madeline LaPoint
2016 – Kellie and Karli Ann Weidinger
2017 – Alyssa Hauser
2018 – Abigail Johnson –Sunset Valley
2019 – Jamee Hansen – (Erickson)
2020- No Apple Fest
2021 – Mardea LaPointe
2022 – Jake Hansen
2023 – Elvira Albert
2024 – Morgan Wroblewski
Bayfield: Where the Water Meets the Soul
Tucked along the shores of Lake Superior, Bayfield is known as the “Gateway to the Apostle Islands,” the “Berry Capital of Wisconsin,” and home to one of the nation’s most beloved fall traditions—the Bayfield Apple Festival.
The festival’s story began 63 years ago when the late James Erickson’s truck broke down near Duluth. While waiting for a new tire, he started selling apples from the back of his truck and quickly discovered that few people knew Bayfield was home to thriving orchards. From that chance moment, an iconic celebration was born. Today, Apple Festival draws 45,000–60,000 visitors the first weekend in October to enjoy orchard booths, live music, and the Grand Parade as the aroma of caramel apples, cider, and pies drifts through the streets. Named one of USAToday’s10BestFallFestivals, it remains a joyful gathering of harvest, community, and tradition.
But Bayfield’s magic extends far beyond festival weekend. Along historic Rittenhouse Avenue, you’ll find locally owned shops, galleries, and eateries housed in charming historic buildings, all within walking distance of Lake Superior’s sweeping shoreline. At the marina, boats depart for cruises through the Apostle Islands, where sea caves, lighthouses, and soaring eagles captivate visitors. Just minutes away, the Bayfield “Fruit Loop” invites you to pick berries and apples straight from the source, while nearby Red Cliff shares the rich culture and history of the Anishinaabe people and the first Tribal National Park in the U.S.
Each season offers something new: snowy adventures at Mt. Ashwabay, blossoms in the orchards each spring, long summer days on the lake, and, of course, the brilliant colors and flavors of fall. Come for Apple Festival, and stay to discover where the water truly meets the soul.
THE CROWN JEWELS OF APPLE FESTIVAL: THE WAPPLE CONE AND APPLE CIDER MINI DONUTS
Every October, when the leaves catch fire in brilliant shades of copper and crimson, the tiny town of Bayfield, WI swells with apple pilgrims. They arrive in flannels, puffer vests, and sometimes questionable footwear, ready to celebrate the fruit that built this lakeside town’s reputation: the humble apple. Because in Bayfield, apples aren’t just a fruit—they’re a festival, a tradition, and most importantly, a really good excuse for dessert. Among the dozens of applethemed foods, 2 apple treats stand out as Apple Festival’s crown jewels—the Wapple Cone, and Apple Cider Mini Donuts. These are the treats that have people lining up in the crisp October air like it’s Black Friday at the mall.
WHAT IS A WAPPLE CONE, YOU ASK?
The Wapple Cone is not a typo—it’s a culinary pun, a mashup of “waffle” and “apple,” and it’s every bit as glorious as it sounds. Imagine a homemade waffle cone, still warm from the iron, its ridges golden and crisp. Now, before a single apple is spooned in, the cone is lined with a cushion of cheesecake mousse. Yes, cheesecake mousse. Creamy, tangy, decadent—it’s like giving your cone a luxury mattress topper.
Next comes the star: a ladleful of hot spiced apples. Tender, cinnamon-laced chunks that taste like the inside of a pie but steam like a cup of cider on a cold day. And just when you think the engineers behind this creation might pause, they don’t. The whole thing gets crowned with a dusting of streusel crumble—that sweet, crunchy topping usually reserved for muffins—and then drizzled with a dramatic ribbon of caramel.
It’s an event. It’s a spectacle. It’s also, shockingly, portable.
This is not a treat you cut delicately with a fork. The Wapple Cone is designed for motion—for wandering down Main Street, weaving between craft vendor booths, nodding politely at a marching band while surreptitiously licking caramel off your wrist. It is, quite literally, a festival food in cone form.
And perhaps most importantly: it’s a labor of love. The cone is handmade. The mousse is whipped in small batches. The apples are spiced with the kind of care that makes you wonder if
someone’s grandmother is secretly running the show. You can taste the effort, the patience, and the pride.
APPLE CIDER MINI DONUTS: A LOVE STORY IN SUGAR
Of course, innovation is exciting, but let’s not forget the backbone of apple festival: the apple cider mini donuts.
If the Wapple Cone is a headline act, the mini donuts are the trusty supporting cast that everyone secretly loves more. For years, these golden rings have been feeding the crowds, their aroma of cinnamon sugar and fried dough wafting down Main Street like a Pied Piper’s call.
The process is hypnotic to watch: dough dropped into sizzling oil, puffing into tiny halos, then tossed into a paper bag with cinnamon sugar and shaken like maracas. The bag comes out warm to the touch, grease spots forming like battle scars. Open it, and you’re met with a puff of steam and the kind of smell that instantly erases your willpower. Bite into one, and you understand why this is a festival staple. The outside crunches ever so slightly, giving way to a tender, cider-kissed interior. They’re light enough that you can eat five before realizing it, but rich enough to make you feel like you’ve sinned joyfully. The mini donut is the quiet hero of Bayfield, a timeless classic in a world of ever-changing food fads.
Bayfield’s Apple Festival is proof that sometimes the simplest ingredients—apples, sugar, cinnamon—can produce the most extraordinary experiences. And nowhere is that more obvious than in two treats: the bold, indulgent Wapple Cone and the timeless, comforting apple cider mini donut.
One is an exclamation point, the other a warm hug. Together, they make Bayfield’s Apple Festival not just a celebration of harvest, but a feast for the heart and memory.
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Thank You To Our Apple Festival Sponsors:
GOLDEN APPLE SPONSOR
($10,000)
Kim and Quito Rymer
(Apple Festival Music Match Fund)
WOLF RIVER APPLE SPONSOR
($5,000)
CORTLAND APPLE SPONSOR
($4,000)
HONEYCRISP APPLE SPONSOR
($3,000)
• Bill and Marilyn Van Sant
(Mass Band/Parade)
PAULA RED APPLE SPONSOR ($2,000)
Lulich Implement • Northland Ag & Turf
MCINTOSH APPLE SPONSOR
($1,000)
Apostle Islands Cruises/ Apostle Islands Kayaking Express
Bad River Lodge & Casino (Native American Performance)
Bodin Fisheries (Royalty)
Broad Street Brokers (Apple Pie and Dessert Contest)
Gichi Gami House –Daniel and Noemi Skenderian (Apple Peeling Contest)
Legendary Waters Resort & Casino (Native American Performance)
Nordic Ware (Apple Pie and Dessert Contest)
Northern State Bank
Port Superior Marina (Pipes and Drums of Thunder Bay)
Wisconsin Public Radio (Seating Sponsor)
GALA APPLE SPONSOR
($500)
Garage Mahal
Hoop’s Fish
Republic Services
Something Vintage Jewelry
The Washburn Inn on the Lake Tamarack Health
FIRESIDE APPLE SPONSOR
($250)
American Heritage Productions
Bayfield County Tourism
Bayfield Artists’ Guild
Bremer Bank
(A Division of Old National Bank)
Heart Graphics and Communications (Official Apple Festival Poster Printer) Keeper of the Light
